Skip to content Key tenets of his philosophy included:
This document is a cornerstone of Spanish economic thought. In it, Jovellanos argued with empirical data that Spain’s stagnation was caused by the lack of private property rights for peasants, the stranglehold of the Mesta on grazing lands, and the proliferation of mayorazgos (entailed estates) that prevented the sale and improvement of land.
Jovellanos was a "polymath" whose influence touched economics, education, and literature.
Born in Gijón, Asturias, Jovellanos was a statesman, author, economist, and lawyer who desperately tried to modernize Spain without triggering a bloody revolution. He walked a tightrope between the old absolute monarchy and the radical ideas sweeping Europe.
